National Agriculture Code

About National Agriculture Code: 

• It will cover the entire agriculture cycle, and will also contain a guidance note for future standardisation.
• The code will have two parts. The first will contain general principles for all crops, and the second will deal with crop-specific standards for the likes of paddy, wheat, oilseeds, and pulses.
• The NAC will serve as a guide for farmers, agriculture universities, and officials involved in the field.
• It will cover all agriculture processes and post-harvest operations, such as crop selection, land preparation, sowing/transplanting, irrigation/drainage, soil health management, plant health management, harvesting/threshing, primary processing, post-harvest, sustainability, and record maintenance.
• It will also include standards for input management, like use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and weedicides, as well as standards for crop storage and traceability.
• Crucially, the NAC will cover all new and emerging areas like natural farming and organic farming, as well as the use of Internet-of-Things in the field of agriculture.
• Objectives
  • Create an implementable national code covering recommendations for agriculture practices taking agroclimatic zones, crop type, socio economic diversity of the country and all aspects of agrifood value chain into consideration;
  • To act as an enabler of quality culture in Indian agriculture by providing the required reference to policy makers, agriculture departments and regulators for incorporating the provisions of NAC in their schemes, policies, or regulations;
  • To create a comprehensive guide for the farming community to ensure effective decision making in agricultural practices;
  • To integrate relevant Indian Standards with recommended agricultural practices.
  • To address the horizontal aspects of agriculture such as SMART farming, sustainability, traceability and documentation; and
  • To aid in the capacity building program organized by agriculture extension services and civil society organisations.

Q1: What is the Bureau of Indian Standards?

It is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016 for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking, and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Source: What is the National Agriculture Code, currently being formulated by Bureau of Indian Standards